Mankiller Response

Wilma MankillerҀs autobiography is unusual in the way that it incorporates not only her personal story but the story of her people. The autobiography took on more of the format of an historical narrative than that of a typical autobiography. There is a great deal of history given about the Cherokee tribe, which often gets tangled up in anecdotes from MankillerҀs life. For example, Mankiller in the very first pages discusses her namesҀ meaning and the importance of names in Cherokee culture. She begins by talking about Native Americans names Ӏnot as mere labels, but as essential parts of their personalities.Ԁ She then continues by explaining the lineage of her name and her ancestors.

The Cherokees have and maintain a close connection with their ancestors, and Mankiller illustrates these connections throughout her autobiography. As Mankiller explains on page 14 of her autobiography, Ӏ[her] own story has meaning only as long as it is a part of the overall store of my people. For above all else [she is] a Cherokee woman.Ԁ Mankiller begins very quickly to connect her story closely to her peopleҀs history. While discussing her tribeҀs history, she explains how certain events affected her family or her ancestors. Many autobiographies pay little attention to overall history. Chief Mankiller places a great deal of emphasis on her ancient history, something rarely seen in contemporary autobiographies. If I, for instance were to write an autobiography, I would spend probably a paragraph discussing my family lineage because it plays a small role in my day to day life. Chief Mankiller, however, discusses the trials and perils of the Cherokee nation for pages, and even chapters. This is a great example though of how differently our emphasis of history is than that of the Cherokee people, or any native tribe for that matter. History is so important to the Cherokees, because without their history, they cannot begin to prepare for the future. They live their history everyday because they must stay so connected to their beliefs, traditions, and cultures of their ancestors.

One of my favorite things about MankillerҀs autobiography is the references and quotations of other natives, or people who have some kind of connection to the Cherokee Nation. I especially like the references by Victore Vine Deloria, brother of well known Lakota Sioux Ella Deloria. The connections of the Sioux and the Cherokee have varied in the past, but it is interesting to me that the concerns and customs of one tribe can sometimes be mirrored in another.

Chief Mankiller does, I think, an excellent job of dispelling rumors and stereotypes about the history of the Cherokee Nation. Most Americans, as Mankiller attests, know very little about the history of the Cherokee people. Or, if they do know, they know it from what can best be described as a white perspective; they know Native American history through the eyes and thoughts of the United States government, or those who write the history books. Many stories of native history, like removal, are told often with very biased opinions. Chief Mankiller attempts to tell the stories from the other side, a side rarely seen.

The Cherokee Nation of today and the Cherokee Nation of the past share many similarities and many differences. However, it is not their similarities and differences that should be focused on, it is their connections. Such connections make the current Cherokee Nation what it is. The United States is a society that has ties to its past, and pride in its history, but not nearly on the scale that the Cherokee Nation does. They not only take pride in it, but they take strides to connect with it as much as possible. Mankiller illustrates this when she discusses the sesquicentennial of the Cherokee Removal in 1989, and the coming together of the Eastern Band and Oklahoma Band of Cherokee tribes. The former was a solemn, yet necessary event that helped to understand and connect more with the tribeҀs history, even if it was a tragic history. The reunion of the two bands of the tribe was another way for them all to connect with their past. The connection that Cherokees share with their past is what makes them Cherokee. It is what makes any group who they are, but some groups like Americans, lose that connection as the years pass, and Cherokees do not.

One question I had was the question of religion. How do Cherokees compromise their view on the Creation with their views on Christianity? It was mentioned that many Cherokee are Baptist, IҀm sure that others are other denominations as well, but how do they wrestle their Creation story with that of the Christian Creation story?